When All Else Fails
by LovesickFox
Summary: The war has ended and Hermione Granger decided to return to Hogwarts to complete her studies. However the scars left behind have changed a lot of things; some people have grown apart, and others will grow closer than they ever thought possible. (M for future)
1. Sleepless Nights

A cold breeze blew through the old castle as the moon rose high into the star-filled sky. It was mid October and the autumn air gave a refreshing chill to the dark stone corridors of Hogwarts. Everything was quiet, all the students, for once, were tucked away in their beds. All except one.

Hermione Granger sat in a small alcove on the 5th floor looking out over the moonlit grounds. She had been plagued with nightmares from the war. Not that that was unusual. Her dreams had ceased to be a place to escape and be free and were instead forcing her to relive the horrors of the previous year. She had returned to Hogwarts to retake her 7th year and pass her NEWTs, even though the ministry had told her they would happily give her the grades without any need for any real examination. This just didn't seem right to her. Harry and Ron had jumped at the chance and ran off to start their auror training while she had been left alone, again. There were very few students returning to retake their 7th year. Most that had only did because they had no other choice.

Hermione sighed and fingered the worn pages of the book on her lap. She thought a change of scenery might help her relax but her other hand still refused to relinquish its unyielding grip on her wand. If only she could get rid of the horrible memories and be done with it. But that wasn't what she wanted. Not really. The memories were what kept her strong and reminded her to value the life she had. It would be an insult to forget the sacrifices so many had made.

Elsewhere in the castle, several floors below where Hermione sat, Severus Snape prowled the halls on his regular patrol. He'd had a particularly taxing day as the second year dunderheads he was forced to teach had all but destroyed his classroom. In his opinion they were lucky to have not lost several limbs in the explosion. They were even more fortunate that Minerva had arrived so quickly or else he would have freed the culprits of those appendages himself. He was truly amazed any of his students managed to survive with their apparent lack of self-preservation instincts. He had clearly stated that the potion would be volatile during its last stages. But had any of them listened? Of course they bloody well hadn't. Insufferable Gryffindors and their absolute disregard for authority. When would any of them learn that, contrary to popular belief, he did want them to be somewhat successful in his class. Why would he purposefully jeopardise his reputation with poor examination results? Not that anyone who took his class got them. He made sure of that. He may be scary but his intimidation tactics earned results. No one could deny that.

Snape continued to stalk through the corridors, taking hidden passages to areas he knew students frequented in the dead of night. He could really do with taking some points away, even if it was from Slytherin he would be satisfied. Unfortunately for him, however, he hadn't come across one student. No first years sneaking around, no third years playing pranks. Even the dark alcoves and the astronomy tower were free of the hormonal teens he so enjoyed to ridicule. Tonight really wasn't Snape's night.

Feeling a bit put out, Severus made his way down the last corridor of his regular route, his hopes to catch and punish rule breakers all but destroyed, when he caught the gentle sound of humming coming from the end of the hall. He silenced his footsteps as years of spy work had taught him to do and, with a cruel smirk, swept over to the unsuspecting student.

Hermione sat and quietly hummed an old lullaby her mum once sang to her. It managed to calm her to an extent and she began to twirl her wand between her fingers, allowing her mind to wander. She absently traced a line of condensation on the window pane and thought back to the last time she saw her parents. It was a few weeks before the final battle, when she was forced to Obliviate them. Kingsley had been kind enough to keep her informed of her parents' lives in Australia for some time. But now, she no longer wished to know. It was only more painful to hear about how happy they were and know that even if she stood right in front of them, they wouldn't recognise their own daughter.

Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a very familiar low baritone snarl behind her.

"Miss Granger, I don't believe war heroes have any more privileges to midnight strolls than every other student in the castle." She spun around and sure enough, there stood her snarky potions professor, all dressed in his long sweeping black robes as usual

"Professor, I couldn't sleep. I was hoping a _stroll_ would help me relax somewhat," she calmly replied. After the war, she no longer feared the dark wizard. It had been revealed once and for all that he truly was a good man. And after helping to take care of him for a month while he recovered from the snake attack, it was difficult to convincingly cower under his glare if only to keep up appearances. Snape, however, didn't appreciate the casual nature their conversation seemed to posses.

"10 points from Gryffindor, Miss Granger, and I will see you for detention tomorrow night. Just because you are head girl you are not permitted wander the corridors at night without good reason. Now return to your dormitory at once."

"Of course, Sir," she replied sweetly, hoping to provoke him further, if only to amuse herself and take her mind away from more serious matters. Snape cocked an eyebrow and glared down his unfortunate nose at her.

"Do you wish to make it 20 points and a weeks detention?" He was practically growling at her.

"No, Sir."

"Then cease the disrespect and sort out your attitude, Granger."

And with that he stalked away, black robes billowing behind him. Hermione sighed, stood from her window seat and headed back towards Gryffindor tower. She didn't expect sleep to find her and prepared for the inevitably long night ahead.


	2. Phoenix's Dance

When morning finally arrived the head girl was sprawled out on her bed, tangled in the sheets. The Crimson red curtains did little to stop the sunshine from awakening a killer headache and after many failed attempts to block out the harsh light, Hermione finally gave up and struggled out of bed.

She quickly went about her morning routine and trudged down to the great hall for breakfast. She was rather late but she had no morning classes so there was no rush. Stumbling slightly through the doors to the great hall, Hermione slowly shuffled to the Gryffindor table and dumped her bag down on the bench before sitting upon it herself. She filled her plate with an assortment of breakfast foods and fished out a book on advanced arithmancy from the bottom of her bag.

A few moments later a brown barn owl swooped in and deposited a letter right onto her bacon, stealing a piece in the process. Hermione huffed and brushed off the food debris from the paper before opening the envelope and reading the tidy script. It was a rather official letter from the Ministry enquiring as to whether or not she'd be interested in a job in their new 'Muggle Protection' department. Hermione immediately drew her wand and set the piece of parchment alight; receiving a few wary looks, but no one said anything to the furious witch. How many times would it take for them to realise she didn't want anything to do with the bloody Ministry of Magic? She'd learnt after the war that politics was a business she wanted to stay far away from. No matter how many zeroes they were claiming would be on her pay cheque, it would never be enough.

After another 15 minutes Hermione found that she wasn't all that hungry and so gave up on nutrition and instead made her way out to the lake where she could get some peace and quiet.

It was a wonderful day and the water of the lake shone in the early light, giving the illusion that thousands of diamonds graced its surface. Hermione sat beneath an old oak tree, listening to the rustling of the leaves and the splashing of water. Hogwarts was a lot more beautiful when you took the time to just look around.

She once again took out her arithmancy book and began reading, looking for any information to add to her already jam packed essay but also to gain knowledge she wasn't set to learn for another month. It always paid to read ahead.

After being quite sure she wasn't missing anything, Hermione replaced the book with an old tome on charms. She flicked through the pages until she got to one of her favourite spells. She had read the faded runes many times and had of course memorised the incantation, however the wand movements always escaped her. Quickly refreshing herself on the correct moves, she picked up her wand and let forth a beautiful red swirl of light. The light curled around the air and morphed into beautiful fiery birds. Their long tails flowed behind them as they glided through the air in a show of graceful acrobatics.

The spectacular show had the effect it always did. Hermione felt lighter and her worries slipped away as she gazed at the silently beating wings and sparkling trails left in the phoenixes' wake.

Allowing the birds to fade away, she cast a quick tempus charm and found that her first class of the day would be starting in 15 minutes. She quickly gathered her belongings and jogged towards the castle, not wanting to be late. Arriving at the classroom with 5 minutes to spare, Hermione quickly took her seat at the front of the room and began to get out her books. It wasn't long before the rest of the class entered the room, a mixture of Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs. A rather harmonious combination. The Gryffindors took turns making jokes and showing off and the Hufflefuffs were too polite to do anything but play along.

The transfiguration lesson went by in a flash and it wasn't long before Hermione was making her way down to the dungeons for potions. The potions room was dark and cool as usual and the overall atmosphere was as foreboding as ever. Even if the man had been named a hero, Severus Snape was still the most feared person at Hogwarts, if not the entire wizarding world now that Voldemort was gone.

The lesson went surprisingly smoothly with only one unfortunate Gryffindor's failed potion resulting in a deduction of house points. Which was rather odd. Usually Gryffindor would be losing points left right and centre for the entire lesson. The lack of which drew two possible conclusions. Either Snape was too distracted to put forth any effort into ruining their day, or he was in a particularly good mood. And God help them all if it was the latter. Who knew what terrible catastrophes had occurred to brighten the Dungeon Bat's day.

Although, what was even more disconcerting was that Hermione found Snape was ignoring her more than usual, which she originally thought would be impossible. But he hadn't neared her work bench all lesson or so much as glanced at her. However, every now and then she could swear she could feel his black eyes boring into her while she worked.

xXx

Despite the speculations, nothing particularly terrible had happened to make Snape uncharacteristically happy. In fact, he was just as apathetic as he was any other day. The only difference was that McGonagall had had a nice little chat with him about house favouring among the teachers. After much spluttering, denial and off handed comments about reckless Gryffindors, Snape had been forced into submission with a single pointed look from the headmistress. She then told him that if he continued to take points and punish Gryffindors at the rate he was then she would permanently transfigure all of his robes to such a pink and frilly extent that they would rival even Umbridge's. This had shut him up and he was begrudgingly obliging.

Looking over the class of bored and rather confused faces who were currently failing to brew an exceptionally easy healing potion he sighed and leaned further onto his desk. None of them seemed to appreciate the subtle art of potion making, but really how could they mess up their potions so easily when they were literally given a step-by-step guide on how to do it would always baffle him.

As his gaze swept the classroom it landed on a certain bushy-haired witch. Hermione Granger was truly the closest he'd come to finding an acceptable potions student. She had never melted one of his cauldrons or wasted his ingredients. Even her work bench was left remarkably tidy and her potions were never anything but perfect. Not that he'd ever tell her that. He'd sooner have a civil conversation with Hooch than actually give a Gryffindor a compliment. However, he sometimes came dangerously close to showing approval to Miss Granger. Her bright, innocent brown eyes would sparkle up at him, searching desperately for approval. In a way she reminded him of himself when he was younger. A thirst to prove himself and absorb all the knowledge that was available to him.

His mind wandered back to earlier that day. He had been sat at the teacher's dais at breakfast when she received an official looking letter. Naturally he was curious, and so watched for her reaction. It certainly hadn't been what he'd expected. No sooner had she opened the envelope had the parchment burst into flames. Not long after that she had practically stormed out of the great hall, bushy curls bouncing around her shoulders as they crackled with repressed magical energy.

He had decided that he too wished to finish with breakfast early and had left to take a walk in the fresh air. He hadn't expected to see the girl again so soon, but before he could back track and put some distance between him and the annoying know-it-all, he'd caught a glimpse of a familiar shape, swirling around the air in front of her. He couldn't quite believe he was seeing correctly, but sure enough there were those bright phoenixes flying freely about the tree trunk.

He stood speechless until he was snapped back to reality by Miss Granger quickly gathering her things and hurrying towards the castle. He soon followed, needing to prepare for his first class, with a wave of memories trying to drown him in pain and misery.

For most of the lesson he had tried to avoid Miss Granger but he was fighting a losing battle, having to speak with her anyway. So he did what he always did and locked the bad memories away, deep within the recesses of his mind.

Sighing once more he announced the end of class and forced them all from his sight.

"Not you, Miss Granger," he called as she neared the doorway. She turned and walked back to his desk. Once the last student had left he stood and strolled around to the front of the table and leant on it with his arms folded over his chest. "I thought it prudent to tell you that I will be expecting you at 7 o'clock this evening and you should bring gloves. You will be sorting through the inventory of the store room for your detention."

"Yes, Sir." She replied smoothly. "Will that be all?" She met his gaze as he seemed to study her, an unreadable expression on his face, as if he was trying to solve a particularly difficult puzzle.

"Yes I suppose it will be. Now run along Granger, I don't want to have to see you for longer than is strictly necessary." And with that he returned to his desk, head down, and began reading through the abysmal essays his third year class for some reason deemed acceptable to actually present to him.

With the abrupt dismissal Hermione hurried from the room, the feeling all but mutual, and headed to the library for some last minute research before her next lesson.


	3. Of Future Plans

At dinner that evening, Hermione didn't eat much at all. She was exhausted from her surprisingly tiring day and was beginning to realise the implications of having a detention with Snape. How could she have been so foolish as to be caught out after hours? She knew better than to sit so out in the open without even a Disillusionment charm in place. When had she become so careless?

Briefly she caught up with Ginny when she came down for dinner.

"Hey, 'Mione!" Ginny called. "Where were you at breakfast and lunch? I didn't see you at either."

"Oh, I was late for breakfast and I spent lunch time in the library working on charms homework." Hermione said as she picked at her mashed potato.

"Oh no you don't. I am not letting you waste away in piles of books. You are going to come to every meal and eat something even if I have to drag you here myself," Ginny huffed. She was getting to be as bad as her mother when it came to eating proper meals.

"It's nice that you care and all but this year is really important for me Gin. I have to make sure all of my work is the best it can be."

"And it will be," Ginny said as she loaded her plate with beef stew. "It will be the best anyone's ever seen, no doubt about it. Even if you take 10 minutes out to eat a sandwich." Hermione blushed at the compliment.

"Thanks. I just worry that it'll all have been for nothing. I'll try to come to meals at least, I don't want to ever be on the wrong side of one of your hexes."

She laughed at this, "You're right there."

"I better go though. I can't keep Professor Snape waiting."

Ginny nearly choked on a carrot, "wait, do you actually have a detention? The great Hermione Granger actually got into trouble?"

"Oh hush you," Hermione chided, "Yes I do. And if I'm late he might not let me wear gloves to sort out the ingredients so I better go."

"Alright then, good luck with the Greasy Git, God knows I don't envy you."

Saying one last goodbye, Hermione started the long trek down into the dungeons to face the fate she had forced upon herself. The air was predictably cold and she was very thankful for the thicker cloak she had decided to wear.

Upon reaching the classroom door, Hermione knocked gently. A part of her hoped that he wouldn't hear her and she could simply tell him she'd thought he was out. However, she had no such luck. Almost immediately the door swung open to reveal Snape sat at his desk, much the same way as she'd left him earlier that day. It was as if he hadn't moved at all. His long lank hair hung in front of his face, his lithe frame bent over the old wooden desk as he furiously marked a parchment with red scrawl.

"Well do come in Granger, unless you plan on standing there all night." His voice was harsh as it echoed through the room to her. She quickly entered the room, closing the door behind her, and walked slowly towards him. "I doubt you need me to direct you to the stores. Get to work and stop wasting time standing around," he spat without even glancing at her.

Hermione was taken aback by the harsh way he addressed her. Sure, he wasn't exactly all daisies and sunshine, but he was being quite horrid, even compared to his regular behaviour. She hurriedly went to the stores, pulled on her dragon hide gloves and set to work. It was a nasty job and most of the ingredients were terribly disgusting so she decided to make short work of it to get through it as quickly as possible. When she emerged from the dusty old cupboard Snape still hadn't moved. Although this time when she entered he did look up.

"Is there something wrong, Miss Granger?" He asked.

 _Ah, back to 'Miss Granger'. Seems to have calmed down._ She thought.

"No, Sir. I've finished." She shuffled awkwardly, not quite knowing what to do. Snape just stared at her and seemed to be fighting an internal battle of some kind.

"Very well. Do sit down, I was meaning to speak with you about something anyway. Suppose now is as good a time as any." He nodded towards the area in front of the desk where a chair materialised and sat back with his arms folded. Hermione moved over to the chair and sat on the surprisingly comfy seat. This could only be bad.

After a few moments of silence Snape finally spoke again.

"Tell me Miss Granger, what are your plans for when you leave Hogwarts?"

Well that wasn't what she was expecting. It took a few seconds for Hermione to reorganise her thoughts and comprehend what he'd just asked her.

"Um… I'm still undecided at the moment, Sir. Why do you ask?"

"Have you considered apprenticing with a professor to further your education in any particular subject?"

"Well yes, Sir. That was something under consideration. Although I am unsure as to how I should go about finding someone to apprentice with."

Snape nodded. He leaned over his desk and steepled his hands in front of his face, looking her in the eye with an extremely serious expression. "And what are your thoughts on the subject I teach?"

"Potions? I find it a fascinating subject. The way different ingredients can be combined in such subtle ways to create things with such marvellous, yet sometimes drastic, effects. How a single, miniscule component can define a poison from a cure can't be anything my amazing." Snape's eyes seemed to shine with something intense that Hermione couldn't quite place. The corner of his mouth lifted ever so slightly and if she wasn't paying attention she may have missed the closest thing she'd ever seen to a smile on his face.

"Is that so?" he drawled. "You see, I was wanting to enquire as to whether or not you'd be interested in apprenticing with me. You are the only student who is even remotely adequate to fit the role." He continued to stare at her, seemingly gauging her reaction, almost with trepidation.

"Really, Sir?" Hermione couldn't believe what she was hearing, "You want me to be your apprentice?"

"That would be exactly what I asked you, yes." He replied sarcastically.

"Wow, I, uh… I…" she couldn't find the words to quite express what she was feeling and so instead seemed to have opted for simply fumbling with anything that came to mind.

"You don't need to give me a reply just yet, not that it seems you are capable to anyway. I understand you may wish to pursue a different subject and I would not hold it against you." _Yeah right,_ he thought. _If she doesn't accept the first apprenticeship I have ever offered and probably will ever offer, then she can count on the rest of her year here being absolute hell._

Hermione seemed deep in thought for a few moments as she regained the ability to speak.

"Of course, Sir. I will think on it, as it's a rather important decision. However, I don't see how I could possibly refuse it. You are one of the best potion masters in the world. I would be a fool to give up such a chance." Severus was taken aback by her off handed compliment and took a moment to compose himself again.

"Yes, well. Simply let me know of your decision so I may inform the headmistress and make any necessary arrangements. Now I believe I have used up enough of your time." He gave a slight nod and Hermione took this as her queue to leave. She stood and gave a small nod of her own.

"Thank you. And good evening professor." He gave another nod in acknowledgement and she left him to ponder what had just happened while she returned to her dorm in a similar mindset. They had both had a meeting that was highly unusual and unexpected. Hermione had not thought that she'd ever have such a civil conversation with Snape, and to think that he actually wanted her to be his apprentice. The insufferable know-it-all that he couldn't stand.

Snape on the other hand was entirely confused by the compliment Hermione had made without seeming to even realise it. But he did. It was the first time a student had ever even suggested towards the idea that they saw him in a somewhat positive light. Even respected him to an extent. It was as if she was recognising the achievement he had made, and what a strange feeling it was.

He retired to his chambers early and summoned a glass and a bottle of fire whiskey, collapsed back into a soft armchair and began to drown out the day with the burning liquor.

Meanwhile, Hermione flopped down onto her bed and stared up at the ceiling, wondering just what she should do in such an unexpected situation. Life could never seem to give her a break and act normal. No, that would be too much to ask for wouldn't it?


	4. A Spark of Hope

Hermione woke late the next day and rushed down to breakfast. She had been up most of the night thinking on Professor Snape's proposition. She would love to be able to stay at Hogwarts, and apprenticing with one of the professors would be like a dream come true. What she didn't know was if potions was 'the way to go', so to speak. It was, admittedly, one of her favourite subjects. However, so were transfigurations and charms. These classes also had more amiable teachers. Even if she wasn't scared of Professor Snape, Hermione didn't know if she could stand his harsh demeanour for an entire apprenticeship.

But despite his sadistic streak, Hermione couldn't deny that the man was brilliant. His intelligence surely surpassed that of most and the things she would learn under his guidance would be next to none. If she truly wanted to succeed then her chance was being delivered to her on a silver platter.

When she entered the Great Hall, Hermione saw Ginny waving over from Gryffindor table. She hurried over and took the seat next to her, putting together a hasty breakfast in the time she had left.

"You sure slept in late. Don't tell me the Greasy Git worked you into the night." She looked about ready to stand up and go confront the dark wizard himself.

"No, no," Hermione quickly said, holding her hands up in a placating gesture. "I just couldn't get to sleep. And that's Professor Snape."

"Right, whatever. I don't know why you defend the bastard though."

"Because he's a Professor and he did so much for us in the war. He deserves respect, " Hermione huffed. Ginny nearly choked on her pumpkin juice.

"Respect?" She shrieked. "Since when do murderers deserve respect?"

"How many times do we have to have this argument? He's not a murderer. You're just as bad as your brother."

"What so Dumbledore just happened to trip off he astronomy tower? And don't compare me to that idiot."

"Of course not. We all know what happened and I'm not denying that Professor Snape cast the spell. But he didn't murder him. He killed him, yes, but that's very different to murder."

Ginny shook her head, seemingly done with the conversation, finished her toast and stormed out of the hall. Not two seconds later, a large brown owl swooped down and dropped a letter on the table in front of her. Hermione nearly burned the letter there and then but noticed the lack of Ministry seal. She looked at the writing on the front and, immediately recognising the untidy scribbling, tore it open. She unfolded the parchment to find a rather disappointingly short, though hopeful, letter.

 _Hermione,_

 _Hope you're doing alright and life at Hogwarts isn't too dull. It's so busy at the ministry. There's a lot to do before we get back on track, but there's nothing Kingsley can't do. I'm writing to let you know me and Ron will be coming to the school for Halloween so you better be at the gates welcoming us._

 _See you soon_

 _Harry_

This instantly lifted Hermione's spirits and she tucked the note into her robes, already desperately anticipating Halloween so she could see her two best friends again.

 _Wait, no. One best friend and one boy you're supposed to love._

 _Supposed to? That's new._

 _No, I mean. I do love him. I do…_

Hermione shook her head. Ridding her mind of the worrisome thoughts. Grabbing her bag and one last slice of toast, she half jogged out of the hall and towards her first lesson.

XXx

Severus Snape woke to the ever-annoying sound of the floo followed by a huffed breath and hurried footsteps.

"To think, I was actually worried when you didn't show for breakfast."

Severus cracked open an eye and glared up at the blurry image of Professor McGonagall. He shook away the remains of the uncomfortable sleep he'd been victim to and sat up straighter. It took a few minutes to fully realise that he must have fallen asleep in his armchair after downing the whole bottle of fire whiskey.

"I am truly flattered that you think highly enough of me to actually worry, Minerva. But as you can see I am still alive." His voice was slightly croaky.

"Sarcasm doesn't suit you in the morning Severus. As for you being alive, well I'd say it's just barely. You look awful."

"And here I thought I was the image of perfection. You really do know how to crush a man's dreams." He slowly stood from the chair, stretching to rid himself of what knots and cricks he could. Minerva sighed, shaking her head.

"Is there anything you wish to talk about Severus?" He looked at her, about to let loose a scathing remark but saw the concern in her eyes. Sometimes the old woman reminded him so much of the Headmaster that it was scary.

"No, Minerva, there is nothing of concern to discuss. Just old memories." He unconsciously rubbed at the scar on his neck. It was partly true. After he had started drinking to relax after the confusing day, his occlumency shields had collapsed and memories flooded his mind, forcing him to drown the alcohol quicker.

"Well, if you are sure. But just know I'll be there if you ever need to talk to someone." Severus nodded in acknowledgement, and this seemed to be enough for her. "Now I suggest you get freshened up. Your first class will be arriving soon." And with that she departed once more through the fireplace, leaving Snape to fully wake up and get dressed.

xXx

It wasn't until after dinner that night that Hermione talked to Ginny again. She found her huddled in a corner of Gryffindor common room, frowning over her own scrawl on a long piece of crumpled parchment. When she noticed Hermione she gave her a tired smile and moved her books from the chair next to her.

"Hi," Ginny said through a long yawn.

"Hi. Is that the transfiguration essay?" Hermione asked, indicating to the half-filled parchment.

"Yeah, right bugger to do this one. I wouldn't suppose you'd mind…"

"I'll look over it for you. And you can borrow the books I used if you want. I think the relevant pages are still marked."

Ginny let out a sigh of relief. "You really are the best Hermione." She sat back, stretching, and pushed her homework to one side. "So, anything interesting happen today?"

"Actually yeah. I got a letter from Harry this morning." Ginny perked up at this.

"What, and you didn't tell me? What did he say?"

"Well I haven't exactly seen you all day have I?" Hermione chuckled, retrieving the parchment from her pocket and handing it the excited witch. She always brightened up at the mention of her boyfriend. Those two were so undeniably in love with each other.

"I can't believe he tells you and not me," Ginny grumbled, rereading the note a few more times.

"Well I think he may have learnt after the last incident with you and his owl. Besides, he knows that I'll tell you anyway."

"That bloody bird had it coming and you know it." She still seemed unhappy but her temper visibly lessened.

The girls' conversation soon died down and Ginny returned, rather reluctantly, to her homework. Hermione brought her down the books she'd mentioned and put the finishing touches on her own essay. After half an hour, Hermione decided to bring up Professor Snape's apprenticeship offer. She'd been hesitant to do so, due to the red head's comments at breakfast, but she knew she needed to talk to someone about it.

"He's offered to a what?" As expected Ginny didn't take it well. "And you turned him down right?" At Hermione's silence the young witch became frantic. "Hermione Jean Granger please tell me you did not accept a one way ticket to Hell!"

"Ginny will you keep it down," Hermione whispered, glancing around at the people who'd turned at Ginny's raised voice. "I haven't told him anything yet. It's not exactly a decision to take lightly."

"I guess, but why not go with a different Professor? Any of them would love to have you as their apprentice. Besides, wouldn't something like Charms or Arithmancy be better for you?"

"Well, yes admittedly I do enjoy those subjects, but there's something about Potions that really interests me. The combination of base ingredients all working together to create something new just fascinates me."

Ginny shook her head in disbelief. "Well it sounds to me as if you've already made your decision. But really, do you think you could even survive working with the git?"

Hermione shrugged, "well I don't think he'll be that bad when there's no one threatening to blow up their cauldron and kill everyone. I mean, I think I'd be a bit disagreeable if I had to constantly watch over a bunch of idiots who can't distinguish between a sleeping draught and a bruise paste."

"A little disagreeable? That's the understatement of the year. Maybe I'll have more luck talking sense into you when Harry and Ron are around."

"Well, I think it'll be too late then. I was going to tell Professor I accept his offer tomorrow so…" Hermione trailed off, seeing the will to live slowing draining out of Ginny's eyes as she came to terms with the fact that her friend had clearly suffered some kind of head trauma and it was too late to reverse the damage.

"So really, this conversation was just a roundabout way of telling me that you are going to apprentice with Snape."

"Well that and it was practice for when I have to tell the other two. They aren't going to take it nearly as well as you. And judging by the way you've received it, I'm in for a world of pain when they find out." With that Hermione gathered her belongings and headed up to bed, leaving behind a rather annoyed Ginny to re-evaluate their friendship and consider what it was Hermione could possibly want with the Dungeon Bat.


	5. An Understanding

_What am I doing?_

 _You're accepting the chance of a life time is what you're doing._

 _Yeah, but what if it's a mistake._

 _But what if it's not._

 _It still could be and then there would be no turning back. I'm still unsure as to if I should ask Professor Vector instead._

 _No Hermione, you've already made your decision. You are going to be Professor Snape's apprentice and you are going to like it._

Hermione sighed as she continued pacing in front of Professor Snape's office door. This was ridiculous. How on earth was she going to deal with this if she was too scared to even knock on the door.

Eventually, after imaging many, many disastrous scenarios, Hermione plucked up every ounce of Gryffindor courage she had to lightly tap on the wooden door. Immediately it opened up and there stood Professor Snape, glaring down at her. _What have I done now?_

"I was wondering how long you were planning on standing around out there for. Is there something you need Miss Granger?"

"Um, yes Sir. I…uh…I wanted to speak with you…a-about, the uh…apprenticeship." She couldn't seem to control her voice and it was painfully obvious how nervous she was. Snape stood aside and allowed her to walk past him into the room. She took the seat in front of his desk and he took his place before her.

After a few moments of silent fidgeting she heard Snape shift slightly.

"Well?" He asked expectantly, he was leaning forward slightly and seemed to be getting more impatient by the second.

"Right. Well, I have decided to accept your offer of an apprenticeship, if it's still your wish to give me one, Sir."

"You think I would change my mind after only two days?" He raised a sardonic eyebrow.

"O-of course not. I just wanted to make sure and everything…" she trailed off.

"Yes, well I have not changed my mind and am rather…pleased that you have chosen to accept."

 _He doesn't look pleased. Not that I think his face can do any emotions beyond 'calculated mockery' and 'absolute bastard.'_

"Thank you, Sir."

"Now, seen as you have accepted, I have a suggestion."

Hermione waited expectantly.

"Usually, an apprenticeship would start after a student has graduated. However, I believe that with your potential, it would be possible to begin with advanced studies now. That way you could accomplish some of your apprenticeship work during your last year and have more time for specialised projects later on."

Hermione thought this over. It was definitely an appealing idea. Sure, she still had her NEWTs to study for, but she was already months ahead of the rest in her classes.

"That sounds like a brilliant idea, Professor," she smiled. "Though, how much time would it take up. I only ask because I still need to make sure I have time for studying and completing assignments."

Snape nodded, "of course I have no doubt you will be able to continue completing your other work to the same over-achieving standard," he drolled. "I would only ask for three evenings of your week at first. Later, more nights may have to be scheduled due to the time needed for some potions to brew. Would that be acceptable, Miss Granger?"

"Yes, I'm sure that will be perfectly fine."

"Very well. I have already informed the Headmistress that I may need to speak with her this evening. I am sure she will be ready for us." He stood up and moved over to the fireplace, motioning for her to do the same.

"You knew I'd accept your offer?" Hermione blurted before she could stop herself.

"I tend to assume the outcome that offends me least Miss Granger. If another occurs then I at least can compensate with…appropriate, punishment." His expression was cold and warning. Hermione dreaded to think what would have happened if she had declined and thanked the stars she had done otherwise.

They arrived at the Headmistress' office a few moments later, Professor Snape striding forward to the desk as Hermione trailed behind, dusting ash from her robes.

"Ah, Severus. Oh and Miss Granger. How can I help you?" McGonagall sat behind the large desk, watching them with inquisitive eyes.

Professor Snape stepped forwards and began explaining what he and Hermione had discussed already.

"I don't see any reason why this can't happen, as long as you are able to keep on top of your existing work, Miss Granger. It wouldn't do for you to be overwhelmed."

"Of course, I'm sure I'll be able to handle it. Thank you Professor." Hermione smiled. The Headmistress seemed to be slightly disappointed; it was no secret that Hermione was her favourite student. But now that she was Headmistress, her free time was very much limited and so even if Hermione had chosen her to apprentice with, she wouldn't have been able to take her on.

xXx

It was a little while later when Hermione was returning from the Headmistress' office. There was more to consider and sort, as Hermione would be participating in two forms of education at the same time. But it didn't take too long and she was soon on her way to the library. She strolled past a glaring Madam Pince and found her favourite secluded alcove. There were few books there that she hadn't read, but for once she hadn't come to seek knowledge from the pages within. In this particular alcove, there was a perfect view over the grounds of Hogwarts. She could see Hagrid's hut and the edge of the forest, and over in the distance the main gates were visible. She sat on the window sill, gazing out at the evening sky and after a few moments silence let out an extremely girly squeal. _I'M GOING TO GET TO DO SO MUCH WORK!_

It was some time before Hermione regained her composure and calmed down some. Eventually she made her way back to Gryffindor tower to find Ginny sat on the sofa, staring into space. Hermione sat down beside her and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. The younger witch jumped, not realising Hermione was there.

"Ginny, are you alright?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." But she didn't look fine. Ginny could obviously tell that this wasn't going to satisfy her and so conceded to tell the truth. "Okay, it's just I'm worried, 'Mione."

"About what?"

Ginny seemed to hesitate. "About the rumours."

"What rumours?" Hermione was beginning to become unsettled. Ginny was never this closed up. Something must be wrong if she was acting this held back.

"About the Death Eaters." Hermione still looked confused. "You haven't heard? It's them, 'Mione."

"Death Eaters? But they've been gone for months now. They're all locked up in Azkaban."

"No, not all of them. Some of them went on the run remember? They were never found. And now people are saying they've been seen again."

Hermione sighed, "I doubt there's any truth to that. Not with Kingsley around. He's already made the ministry so much stronger. The one's that got away are probably lying dead in a ditch by now or hiding away for the rest of their lives so they don't meet their 'comrades' fate."

Ginny shook her head, "I know but, what if they come back? I don't think I could go through it again. We lost so many people, I don't want to lose anyone else."

Hermione put an arm around Ginny's shoulders, pulling her into a comforting hug. "What's brought these thoughts on, Gin?"

"I don't know. I just sat down and started thinking. Before I knew it I kept thinking 'what if it's not over.' Because it sometimes doesn't feel like it is."

Hermione knew exactly what she was talking about. There were a lot of times Hermione had been reminded of the war, not just in her dreams but in the waking world as well. When she saw old photographs, empty seats in classrooms, or would subconsciously go to seek out someone before she remembered that they were no longer there she would suddenly be hit with the full force of reality. It was never pleasant and left her feeling out of sorts for some time after. But it _was_ all over now. It _had_ to be.

And so that's what she told her. Because reassurance was all she could offer. They sat together in silence, lost in their own thoughts and personal nightmares.

"C'mon Gin. Let's head down to dinner. I think some generic Gryffindor table talk is in order to take our minds off this."


	6. Halloween

The weeks leading up to Halloween seemed to drag relentlessly, especially with all the added work of an apprenticeship. Hermione found that Professor Snape was just as, if not more, grouchy and easily irritated as he was in class when working in private. But she also found that her time with him was a lot more enriching than a normal lesson would be. She learned more about brewing potions in those few weeks than she had in a whole year at Hogwarts.

The first night of her apprenticeship duties had gone relatively well. She'd gotten to Professor Snape's office at precisely the right time, and he'd seemed in an amiable mood. Everything had gone smoothly as he'd outlined what they were going to be doing over the next year. Then they moved onto brewing potions for the infirmary, a job which would soon fall solely to Hermione when the school year kicked in fully and work picked up for the Professor. And she was fine with this. To Hermione, brewing was therapeutic and the extra work would help calm her down after a stressful day of school.

Hermione and the Professor stood in his classroom at one of the desks, two cauldrons between them and various ingredients lain across the table top. It wasn't very often Hermione had the chance to watch Snape brew, but when she did she relished every moment of it. She used to sneak peaks around door frames at Grimauld Place when he was brewing some complex potion for the order. The way he devoted his entire attention to the brew, his intense concentration mixed with his graceful and precise movements enthralled her. She aspired to his skills, though she knew she'd never achieve them. His natural ability gave him an edge she could only dream of attaining.

Half way into the brewing session Hermione could stand the silence of the room no longer and braved conversation.

"Professor?" She asked timidly.

"Yes, Miss Granger?" There was a note of apprehension in the Potions Master's voice. He was likely expecting his new apprentice to begin a relentless tirade of questions as she seemed fond of doing in the past.

"I was just wondering, why exactly you chose to offer me an apprenticeship." She didn't look up from her stirring, too afraid to meet his gaze.

"I believe I already stated that you were the only student who could fit the role," he replied, agitation now creeping into his tone.

"Well, yes you did say that. But I'm the first apprentice you've ever taken. I can't help but wonder why I'm the only one to be given the honour when I'm sure you had other able students in the past."

Snape paused at this. Yes it was true he hadn't taken any other apprentice before, but that was with good reason. He could tell her why, though it could lead to further questioning that he was not in the mood for. However, he figured they'd be working together for a while and it wouldn't hurt to try and make their time together as…agreeable as possible. Which would mean occasionally giving into her more curious tendencies.

"Very well, Miss Granger," he sighed, "I did not take an apprentice before you because the war made it simply impossible to do so. I had no time to oversee a student's education personally on such an in-depth level, and even if I did, my choice of students was rather limited."

"How so?" Hermione had stopped stirring now, casting a stasis spell over her cauldron she turned her full attention to the conversation. Snape continued tending to his potion, however, preferring to distract himself from the social interaction as much as possible.

"Well, being a Death Eater meant that I had to show favour to the Slytherins. It would have been impossible to offer an apprenticeship to anyone not from my own house without suffering unfortunate consequences."

Hermione didn't need to ask what he meant by 'unfortunate circumstances,' it was pretty self-explanatory in her mind. If Professor Snape had shown favour to anyone but the Slytherins, word would have travelled back to their parents, a lot of whom were Death Eaters, and Snape would have been at their mercy. Most likely, they would have made him pay. Painfully.

"I see," Hermione said, "then I am very glad you chose me to be the first. I hope I won't disappoint you, Sir." With that she returned to her brewing, missing the quickly concealed shock on the Potion's Master's face.

xXx

When Halloween finally arrived it was like a weight was lifted from the Gryffindor's shoulders. It wasn't that she couldn't handle all the work, but Hermione was realising that even she had limits when it came to studying, and so she welcomed the break with open arms.

Harry and Ron arrived at the castle the night before Halloween, but she had to wait until the next day to actually see them. As soon as they entered the castle they were swept away to the rooms they would be staying in to avoid their presence being known. It was a bit of a surprise for the students (bar Hermione and Ginny) that they were there for Halloween and so couldn't be seen. Hermione would have visited them that night but unfortunately it was a 'Snape night.'

The day of Halloween was a relaxing one for Hermione. But when the evening fell, chaos seemed to reign in the Gryffindor common room. The girls where dashing around with clothes, make up and accessories of every sort, getting ready for the dance. McGonagall had decided to entertain some of Dumbledore's old whims and start the year off with a ball to lift everyone's spirits.

It wasn't long before Hermione was dragged into the chaos by an excited Ginny. She dragged the older girl up to her rooms where the floor was already littered with a range of cosmetics from her and the other girls living there.

"Y'know Ginny, as Head Girl I could punish you for keeping your rooms in such disarray," Hermione joked.

"Oh give it a rest 'Mione. We both know you wouldn't. Now take these," Ginny said handing Hermione a handful of bottles, "and go take a shower."

"Well, sorry my appearance offends you so much."

"You know what I mean. You need to be quick though, that stuff alone won't be enough for your hair. It's gonna take work." Ginny then proceeded to shove Hermione in the direction of her own quarters.

"The dance doesn't start for another 3 hours, and what's wrong with my hair."

"Exactly, only 3 hours. Not sure it'll be enough time but we have to try." Hermione then practically fell through her bedroom door, which was promptly slammed behind her.

"What is wrong with that girl?" She wondered to herself before heading to the bathroom and making quick work of washing. She may think it silly but she wasn't about to tempt the red head's anger.

Once out of the shower, Hermione pulled on a T-shirt and some sweat pants before heading back to Ginny's room. As soon as she stepped through the door she could feel the buzz of energy in the air. Ginny immediately pulled her down next to her and began fussing with her hair.

"See? It's much better already. Your hairs a lot smoother now, can probably actually work with it." She cast a drying charm gradually over the glossy curls.

"I don't like how you've started to casually insult my hair. I rather think the bushiness has a certain…appeal to it." Ginny scoffed at that as she moved on to curling charms to tame it some more.

"Yes I suppose it does. But it's all wrong for the occasion so just be quiet and let me do this."

Hermione sighed but allowed the pampering to continue.

After about half an hour Ginny declared that she had completed her 'master piece.' She then took another five minutes to apply some minor make up charms that she promised Hermione would be hardly noticeable.

She was finally allowed to look in the mirror and wasn't disappointed. The top half of her hair had been pulled back into a messy pile of curls at the back of her head, held there by sparkling clips that caught the light perfectly. A few ringlets had been released to frame her face and the rest of her hair flowed down her back in beautifully smooth curls.

"Wow. That's amazing Ginny. Thank you." She turned to the other girl and gave her a big hug.

"It's no bother 'Mione. Now go get into your dress and I'll meet you in the common room."

Hermione nodded and returned to her room to put on her dress. It was pale yellow at the top and gradually became a fiery red at the hem where it just reached her knees. The bodice was tight and form fitting, tied along her back with red ribbon and the skirt flowed out in perfectly falling folds that swayed gracefully when she moved. The neckline scooped low leaving her shoulders and most of her chest bare, but still covered her in a modest way.

Hermione then retrieved an ornate jewellery box from her trunk. From within it she took a necklace, a small ruby surrounded by leaves and vines of gold hanging on a delicate gold chain, and a matching pair of earrings. They had been a gift from her parents for her 16th birthday. Taking one last look in the mirror, Hermione headed back to the common room.

She arrived before Ginny and so sat rather awkwardly on one of the armchairs as a few people stared at her. This was why she didn't like to get dressed up. Sure it was nice that people noticed her for something other than brains but the attention was sometimes too much.

She was forced to sit there fidgeting for another fifteen minutes before Ginny finally arrived. She was wearing a forest green strapless dress with an empire waistline that reached mid thigh with a matching silk shawl. Hermione stood up to join her at the portrait hole.

"Wow Ginny, you look amazing!"

"Thanks 'Mione, you too. I told you that dress would look great on you." The girls continued down to the great hall, chatting excitedly about what the night was going to bring.

When they reached the entrance hall they were met with a large crowd of bustling students who were just being ushered into the hall by a harried looking McGonagall. When the way was finally clear the two girls got a better look at the cause. Standing in the doorway, looking quite ruffled, were Harry and Ron. They hurried over to greet the boys, having not seen them in two months.

"Harry! Ron!" Ginny barrelled into the two boys, nearly knocking them over as she rushed to hug them. Hermione wasn't far behind and was pulled into the excited huddle.

"Woah Ginny! Give me some room to breathe!" Ron gasped, the air being squeezed out of his lungs.

"Oh shut up you whimp!" Ginny laughed, but did loosen her grip on the boys.

The four friends chatted loudly with each other for a minute or so, mostly about how good it was to see everyone again, before deciding they should enter the great hall for the ball. Harry offered Ginny his arm and she happily looped her own through, giggling at the show of chivalry. Ron soon followed suit, and Hermione offered him a small smile before following his lead into the hall.


	7. Realisations

Upon entering the great hall, the four Gryffindors were greeted with an amazing sight. The candles were still there illuminating the room, however the light wasn't quite as bright, giving the room a more mysterious feel that perfectly matched the Halloween theme. The usual long house tables were gone and in their place were a multitude of smaller round tables. A large space had been left in the centre of the room as a dance floor and this was where most of the Hogwarts students were currently stood mingling.

The group made their way over to the large gathering of students and were greeted rather excitedly. Harry was the focus of most of the attention, not to anyone's surprise, and he was soon overwhelmed by the onslaught of students trying to start up conversations with him. Luckily for him it was at this point that Professor McGonagall stood upon the dais and called for everyone to take their seats.

Hermione, Ron, Harry and Ginny found their way to a table as the headmistress began her speech. Once she had finished she announced the beginning of the ball which, in true Hogwarts fashion, began with a banquet. The food was predictably delicious but light, leaving the students fully able to dance the night away afterwards. It was during this time that the four friends were finally able to catch up properly.

"So, what's auror training like? Is it as exciting as you imagined?" Ginny asked.

"It's exciting yeah, but a lot of work," Harry replied, "nothing less than I expected though."

"Speak for yourself mate," Ron laughed, piling his plate with food. "It was a bloody shock to me; I'm enjoying the break while I can."

"Well you'd better suck it up, Mum would freak if you suddenly decided to drop out."

"Oh have a bit of faith in your brother would you Ginny? I'm not going to drop out, it might be more work than I thought but it's worth it."

"I know, Sorry Ron." Ginny giggled. "You know we're all proud to have a soon-to-be auror in the family." Ron huffed at this, but his cheeks reddened slightly at her remark.

"So 'Mione, what's it like being back at Hogwarts?" Harry asked, "Not too boring for you I hope."

Hermione looked up from her plate, having been silent throughout the conversation to that point. "Oh, it's not bad at all. It's really nice being back actually, I'm just glad they gave me the chance to be here."

"I still don't know why you didn't just take the NEWTS without going through all the exams," Ron laughed. Hermione sighed having answered the question too many times.

"I just want to feel like I earned them. I can't take them without feeling guilty. Not that I think any less of either of you," she added hurriedly looking from Ron to Harry.

"We know that 'Mione, don't worry." Harry smiled, waving off her concern.

"But surely you know all this stuff inside out by now, how do you not get bored senseless doing the same thing all over again?" Ron mumbled through a mouthful of food. Hermione went to answer but Ginny caught her eye before she could. She had a wicked smile on her face and Hermione suddenly felt very fearful of what her friend had in mind.

"Actually," Ginny began, "Our lovely Hermione here is kept very occupied these days, she's far from bored."

The boys looked from Ginny to Hermione, thoroughly confused. Hermione shot Ginny a glare, but knew her friend was just doing what she couldn't. Getting it over with.

"What the heck does that mean?" Ron asked.

"She means I've taken on extra studies. An apprenticeship to be exact." Hermione fiddled with her serviette, not enjoying the turn the conversation had taken.

"Oh well that's brilliant! Just something we'd expect from our over achiever," Harry joked. "So, who's the lucky professor?"

Silence reigned over the table as Hermione reduced her serviette to a crumpled ball.

"Professor Snape."

More silence. Harry and Ron just stared at their friend, clearly wondering if they heard her right or if they had somehow misheard 'Flitwick' as 'Snape'.

"You've got to be pulling my leg here 'Mione." Ron half laughed, "You are joking, right?"

Hermione shook her head.

"That was my reaction too, but trust me she's serious." Ginny interjected, sipping on her drink.

"But he's a bastard! An absolute arsehole!" Ron looked over to Harry, "come on back me up here mate."

Harry nodded solemnly. "I've got to agree with Ron on this one Hermione. He might have ended up being a good guy but he's still got a rotten attitude."

Hermione sighed, knowing her friends wouldn't be accepting this very quickly but decided to try and show them her point of view.

"I'm not going to deny that he can be a bit abrasive,"

"That's an understatement," Ron choked.

"In your opinion, fine. But you can't deny he's brilliant at what he does. On a purely academic basis Professor Snape was by far the best choice. I can learn so much more from him than anyone else."

"How'd you even get to be his apprentice in the first place? Did you actually go out of your way to spend more time with that greasy git?"

"No, Ron. He asked me. You probably don't know how significant that is but trust me it would have been incredibly idiotic of me to not accept the first apprenticeship he's offered to a student. Ever."

"Well I don't like it. He is a legendary twat and I don't like the idea of you being with him alone for god knows how long."

"What could you possibly be afraid of him doing? He's a professor, Ron. Does that not mean anything to you?"

"He was a death eater, _Hermione_. How about that? Doesn't _that_ mean anything?"

"Oh for goodness sake, you know as well as anyone else it doesn't. Not anymore." Hermione was feeling thoroughly riled at this point. She was the only one who ever seemed to have any common sense when it came to Professor Snape's allegiance. Thankfully for her the first dances were just beginning and she happily stood from the table to escape into the growing crowd of students on the dance floor.

 _Well that went brilliantly._ But in all honesty Hermione hadn't expected anything less from the boys. They were stubborn. But she knew they'd come around, they'd have to. Hermione took some time to look around the room, wondering if the man himself would have shown up. They had spoken briefly about the ball during their sessions together and he had seemed less than impressed with the idea of chaperoning a bunch of teens at a party. Hermione was sure he would have found an excuse to avoid the festivities all together, however as her eyes swept over the room they landed on the figure of the dark imposing man stood sulking in the corner.

As if sensing her gaze, Professor Snape's eyes snapped up to meet hers with a scowl. She almost felt embarrassed, like she'd been caught staring and so tried to ease the tension by flashing him a small smile. Unsurprisingly he did not return the gesture and instead turned away to continue glaring at the wall.

Hermione sighed and walked fully onto the dance floor as the first dance began. It was a traditional wizarding dance, one that had you spinning around the room from partner to partner. It was fun, the music and rhythmic movements doing wonders to improve her mood. By the time the song was finished she felt much more relaxed and decided to seek out her friends again. This was a night for them all to enjoy together. They wouldn't see each other again until Christmas so she wasn't about to let it go to waste.

When Hermione returned to the table she found only Ron there, swirling his drink.

"Where did Harry and Ginny go?" Ron looked up surprised to see her back so soon.

"They just got up to dance,"

"Oh, okay." She sat down next to him. They sat in silence for a while before Hermione finally spoke again.

"Did you not want to dance?"

"Not right now, no."

"Okay."

They continued to sit there, watching the other students mingle and dance. After a while Hermione sighed, seeing only one way out of the situation.

"I'm sorry Ron, I didn't mean to get so riled up." It sounded forced and Hermione knew it, but Ron relaxed instantly, his face breaking into a grin.

"Don't worry 'Mione, I know you'll come around eventually so you're forgiven."

Hermione bit her tongue to stop herself from shouting at him. The boy really could be dense at times. She watched as he downed the rest of his drink and stood up, offering her his hand.

"Think I'm ready for a dance now," he declared, pulling her up from her seat and dragging her back to the dance floor. They found a space just as a new song began to play and he pulled her into a ballroom position.

They swayed to the music amid the sea of students, and it was nice. Hermione enjoyed the dancing and she found her irritation falling with each step. However, her peace did not last long as she felt Ron's hand slowly slipping lower down her back. And that didn't feel right at all.

Hermione tensed, jarring the two from their rhythm.

"Are you alright 'Mione?" Ron asked concerned.

"Um, yeah. Fine." She answered hesitantly.

"You don't sound fine. You in pain? Need to sit down?" He started looking her over as if to find an injury of some sort.

"No, no really. I um, you know what I just don't really feel up to dancing anymore."

"But we only just started," Ron looked dejected and held onto her tighter.

"Yeah I know, I'm sorry I just need to sit down I think." She tried to break free of his grasp but he wouldn't let go.

"'Mione come on, just 'til the end of the song at least," he protested.

"Please Ron, I'm just not up for it anymore okay?"

But Ron still held on tightly forcing her to tear herself away from his tight grip, leaving her arms reddened from the friction, and hurried away from the dance floor towards the edge of the hall. She skulked into the shadows and tried to be as invisible as possible.

 _Well that was brilliant, well done Hermione._

She huffed slightly, catching her breath and looked around to make sure she had escaped unseen. Hermione slumped against the cold stone wall and let out a long sigh.

 _What am I going to do?_

Hermione tried to gather her thoughts and work out exactly what just happened to make her react in such a way. Dancing with Ron had been nice, enjoyable even. But then he had to try and make a move. The couple had never gone much further than holding hands and even that had felt unnatural for Hermione, she supposed it was no real surprise that him trying to cop a feel was even more uncomfortable. Pieces were finally fitting together in Hermione's head that she'd tried to keep far apart. She didn't love Ron. Not in that way. Like a brother, like a close friend? Yes, definitely, but not as a lover.

But why did she have to run away? It only made the situation worse on both of them. How could she possibly tell him she wanted to break up? It could shatter their friendship, and if she lost Ron, she'd lose Harry too. If things got messy she could end up with no friends left. She had to do it, but how? It had to be soon, she knew that. It would only hurt him more to drag it out for longer than was necessary.

Tomorrow. She'd do it tomorrow, in the morning just before he leaves. That would be best.

Hermione, now set on her decision, straightened herself and decided to head out of the hall for some fresh air before joining her friends again. She began to move towards the doors of the great hall, hugging the walls to keep in the shadows. She kept an eye on the room to make sure no one saw her but in doing so failed to see the large black shape also taking refuge in the shadows and bumped straight into it.

Hermione jumped and let out a small shriek, quickly turning to see what she'd ran into only to meet the eyes of a thoroughly disgruntled Professor Snape.

"Miss Granger." He said, his voice dangerously low, "What are you doing skulking about in the shadows?"

"Professor! I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there!"

"Clearly" Snape glared at her.

"I was just making my way to the door, I, um, needed some air."

"And practically scraping yourself along the walls was the most convenient way you saw of doing that?"

Hermione scrambled for an explanation but came up empty handed."

"Do I need to worry about my apprentice getting up to no good? I won't tolerate any kind of trouble making, though I suppose I should have expected it with those idiotic friends of yours returning. Though I see they are strangely absent at this moment. Planning schemes all by yourself now?"

"No, of course not! I really was just getting some air, I just needed to be alone…" she trailed off rather weakly.

Snape appraised her for a few moments, gauging her sincerity before his eyes landed on her reddened arms, bruises now clearly showing finger marks where Ron had held onto her.

"What happened to your arms, Miss Granger?"

Hermione immediately attempted to cover her arms with her hands looking to see that they were indeed rather noticeable. "Nothing, it's nothing."

"It certainly does not look like nothing. Come with me, you should apply some bruise paste immediately." Snape took her arm, firmly but gentle enough to not cause further harm, and proceeded to march her from the great hall.

"Professor please that's not necessary," Hermione protested, but it did nothing to deter the potions master.

As the two reached the doors Hermione heard Ron calling out from behind her, but she was unable to acknowledge him in any way as Snape had already dragged her around the corner in the direction of the dungeons.

"Please, Professor Snape it really is nothing. I have bruise paste of my own in my room, or I could get some from the infirmary."

Snape huffed at this, "Yes but my own works much more effectively. Unless, of course, you wish to spend the rest of the night with those marks on your arms." He paused before continuing, softer this time, "I also need to talk with you about those marks, Miss Granger. It is a serious matter for a student to harm another."

Hermione hung her head, understanding how bad it looked, and allowed herself to be lead the rest of the way to the Professor's office. This was not a conversation she looked forward to.


End file.
